DESCRIPTION: This proposal seeks support to help organize and conduct the Gordon Research Conference on Biomineralization. This international conference will be held August 4-9, 1996 at Plymouth State College in Plymouth, New Hampshire. The meeting is a continuation of the Gordon Research Conference on Calcium Phosphates (previously held on alternate years) since 1979, under a new name. The Biomineralization Conference will emphasize the physical chemistry of mineralization in both biological and industrial systems and the relevant properties of mineralized tissues and synthetic prototypes. This conference will also address fundamental aspects of research in areas where such knowledge can be used to produce new and useful synthetic biomaterials for orthopedic and dental applications. This conference is specifically designed to bring together chemists, physicists, mineralogists, dentists and physicians to facilitate further advances in these important areas of study. Support for young investigators is specifically requested. The 1996 Biomineralization Conference will address the current state of knowledge regarding the mechanism of controlled nucleation and the growth of calcium phosphates and related biominerals in both biological systems and in industrial applications, addressing fundamental research in biomineralization, urolithus and implantology. Session topics include 1) Mechanisms of Crystal Nucleation, 2) Nucleation Events in Biological Systems, 3) Mechanisms of Crystal Growth and Inhibition, 4) Urinary Stone Formation, 5) Regulation of Biomineralization, 6) Environmental Disturbances of Mineralization, 7) Recent Technological Advances in the Study of Minerals and Mineralized Tissues, 8) The Application of the Principles of Biomineralization to the Development of New Materials, and 9) Implantology.